Sasha Gordon debuts new work at Jeffrey Deitch, Theaster Gates unveils the new Serpentine Pavilion, and a group show at Guts Gallery explores themes of rebirth
LAUREN HALSEY, DAVID KORDANSKY, NEW YORK CITY, USA
Walking into one of Los Angeles artist Lauren Halsey’s exhibition is all-encompassing, as her sculptures and hand-painted columns loom around you. Each is a critique of the gentrification and disenfranchisement unjustly experienced by Black people, queer communities, and the working class of America – but also worldwide. While her first exhibition at David Kordansky’s NYC outpost is less immersive than her debut show at the gallery’s LA location in 2020, Halsey’s work still functions as a space to imagine “new possibilities for art, architecture, and community engagement.” Her efforts expand beyond the gallery walls, as Halsey also runs Summaeverythang Community Centre, which donates and delivers organic produce to South Central LA people and families in need.
HANDS OF OTHERS, SASHA GORDON, JEFFREY DEITCH, NEW YORK CITY, USA
I’m a big fan of Sasha Gordon’s paintings, which blend surrealism and hyperawareness. In Hands of Others, she debuts new work at Jeffrey Deitch’s New York City location (and is also taking part in a show I tipped last month called Wonder Woman, also at Jeffrey Deitch). Her paintings cast doppelgängers, each embodying different elements of her personality. One standout work, in particular, shows two figures, one with a balding patch, which details her experience with trichotillomania – a condition where someone pulls their hair out. Others explore her existence as a biracial Asian woman in white America.
FOROTHERMORE, NICK CAVE, MCA CHICAGO, USA
It’s incredible to see Nick Cave getting his flowers with his first career-spanning survey – especially in his home town. Not only is he an artist, but an activist, educator, designer, and performer, and Forothermore brings all these elements of his practice in one space. The show stands as an “ode to those who, whether due to racism, homophobia, or other forms of bigotry, live their lives as the ‘other’”. The hopes are that we can imagine a more equitable future through art and creative expression. Whether you can make the show or not, check out Cave’s interview on AnOther with Editorial Director Ted Stansfield.
BLACK CHAPEL, THEASTER GATES, SERPENTINE, LONDON, UK
It’s not long now until Theaster Gates unveils the 21st Serpentine Pavilion Black Chapel, his long-awaited commission, with architecture support from David Adjaye’s Adjaye Associates. Black Chapel continues Gates’ fascination with making clay objects and his practice of space-making through urban revitalisation projects.
SUN & SEA, SERPENTINE GALLERY, LONDON, UK
If you weren’t lucky enough to be – or didn’t have to patience to wait in its epic line – at the Venice Biennale 2019, then now is your time to (sun) shine. Lithuania’s national entry Sun & Sea took home the prestigious Golden Lion for its exploration into our relationship with the planet and the perils of climate change, and is a durational performance that takes place over several hours. It’s a part of a broader programme called LIFT 2022, which is Serpentine’s Back to Earth multi-year project in response to the environmental crisis. Read the many rave reviews it received during its debut and sea (sorry) for yourself.
IN THE BLACK FANTASTIC, HAYWARD GALLERY, LONDON, UK
Eleven contemporary artists use science fiction, myth, and Afrofuturism to “question our knowledge of the world”, in this new exhibition, In The Black Fantastic. These artists include Hew Locke (whose Tate Britain show is expanded on below), Rashaad Newsome, Chris Ofili, Tabita Rezaire, Kara Walker, and more, curated by Ekow Eshun. Together, the artists channel fantasy as a space to address racism and social injustice “by conjuring new ways of being in the world”. To accompany the exhibition, Eshun is also curating a series of films with the BFI.
In The Black Fantastic runs from June 29 – September 18, 2022
ART IN PROCESS, NAM JUNE PAIK, GAGOSIAN(S), NEW YORK CITY, USA
An incredible opportunity to deep-dive into the “Father of Video Art” in this two-part show spanning the Gagosian’s 555 West 24th Street location and its Park & 75 gallery. Art in Process continues the groundwork set by Paik’s recent retrospective, titled The Future is Now, which Londoners might remember seeing at Tate Modern. The Korean artist was a visionary, introducing TV, and its possibilities and infinite interpretations, to the art world, alongside ideas of surveillance, AI, and how humans interlink with all of it – he even predicted meme culture.
AND THIS SKIN OF MINE, TO LIVE AGAIN A SECOND TIME, GUTS GALLERY, LONDON, UK
The hardest working gallery in the UK is launching its first group show in its London HQ, exploring ideas of ‘rebirth’ and the many forms that can take. Featuring artists such as Shadi Al-Atallah, Alvaro Barrington, Lydia Pettit, and more, as well as a new poem by James Massiah, “Mussel Shell” – each examines the “capability or necessity to be constantly reborn/rebirthing”.
And this skin of mine, to live again a second time runs June 2 – 23, 2022
PENNY WORLD, PENNY GORING, THE ICA, LONDON, UK
Three decades of British artist Penny Goring’s substantial catalogue of work will be showcased as paintings, sculptures, self-portraits, drawings, digital collages, and videos that explore themes of trauma, violence, grief, fear, loss, panic, and powerlessness. Many of her works shine a light on Britain’s housing conditions and a lack of mental and financial support for citizens – which feels apt in today’s cost-of-living crisis. She offers a beacon of light by emphasising the power of creativity in hardship. Long a gallery outsider, this is Goring’s first institutional show and one not to be missed.
I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU & FROM NEAR AND FAR: COLLAGE AND FIGURATION IN THE CONTEMPORARY AGE, STEPHEN FRIEDMAN, LONDON, UK
Artist Deborah Roberts teams up with curator and founder of @greatwomenartists Katy Hessel for the group show Near and Far: Collage and Figuration in the Contemporary Age. Sixteen contemporary female artists who work in collage are brought together to explore figuration, form, gesture, and viewpoints, many works which have never been shown before. Artists include Jordan Casteel, Amy Sherald, Lubaina Himid, Chantal Joffe, and more.
Alongside the group show, Roberts debuts a new body of work in I Have Something To Tell You. The show examines the obstacles that Black children encounter as they form their identities and includes some of Roberts’ largest works ever. Through a monochromatic palette, Roberts communicates both power and vulnerability while exploring issues such as racism, gender politics, and western beauty standards and how these impact Black communities. Amongst the work are acknowledgements of racism in the UK, such as Child Q, the young Black schoolgirl who was unjustly strip-searched by police.
BIG HEARTEDNESS, BE MY NEIGHBOR, PIPILOTTI RIST, MOCA, LOS ANGELES, USA
Recently in LA, I was blown away by Pipilotti Rist’s show at the MoCA – also her first west coast survey. Her all-encompassing world brings visitors deeply into her practice through installation, video, and her famous Pixel Forest, which feels ever more special amongst the trippy garden she’s created in which Pixel Forest is its centrepiece. As one of the pioneers of video, she uses the frame to explore the body in ways that at times feel intrusive and uncomfortable for the viewer. Her exterior and interior scenes mirror shared spaces and psychological landscapes. Unfortunately, it’s ending very soon – so make sure to see it before it’s too late.
DREAMACHINE, WOOLWICH PUBLIC MARKET, LONDON, UK
Dreamachine is less about the physical and more about what’s in your mind. Described as an “immersive experience like no other”, the actual show occurs behind your own eyes, brought upon by lights and music. So if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the world this month, this five-star-reviewed experience is one to tap into and tune out. It’s free; just make sure to book in advance.
SHUT THE CLUB DOWN, SOUTH LONDON GALLERY, LONDON, UK
I’m late to this party – but what a party it is. Shut The Club Down explores dance music and club culture in Peckham and Camberwell during the 1990s through two legendary venues: Peckham Lazerdrome and Imperial Gardens. The show traces these cultural histories through footage, photos, music, and ephemera. Another one that ends soon – don’t miss it.
THE MATRIARCH’S RHAPSODY, JACOLBY SATTERWHITE, MOMA.ORG
I’ve long been a fan of Jacolby Satterwhite’s work – which gained a more profound appreciation through learning about how he pays tribute to his mother through his art. In this special limited-time screening on MoMA.org, the artist’s 2012 film “The Matriarch’s Rhapsody” is screening online. Created four years before his mother, Patricia, passed away, the film uses sketches she made (alongside Jacolby’s CGI reproductions and family photos) while grappling with schizophrenia. He has continued to create work in her honour – and this is the place to start.
THE UNCANNY VALLEY, CONOR MURGATROYD AND PETER DOYLE, THE ROOM, LONDON, UK
Two of London’s most promising painters are collaborating on a show titled The Uncanny Valley, which examines the “theoretical relationship between the human form and something that closely – but imperfectly – resembles it”. Made up of works that depict “a certain time and place”, the two painters show the messy, awkwardness that is real life in their own styles.
THE PROCESSION, HEW LOCKE, TATE BRITAIN, LONDON, UK
The Procession is a large-scale, immersive installation by Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke, and this year’s Tate Britain Commission. Drawing inspiration from a procession, which is “part and parcel of the cycle of life”, The Procession asks visitors to meditate on “the ebb and flow of cultures, people and finance and power”.
ENTER THE REALM, NAUDLINE PIERRE, JAMES COHAN, NEW YORK CITY, USA
Artist and Dazed 100’er Naudline Pierre has constructed an alternate universe through paint and canvas for an exhibition of new work at James Cohan in NYC. Titled Enter the Realm, we once again meet Pierre’s celestial figures as they share tales of change, metamorphosis, and transcendence.
CANON!, NO. 9 CORK STREET, LONDON, UK
Canon! is a series of two group shows and two solo shows that promise to explore the “potential and possibilities of the Now” – curated by HYMODERNITY, a new digital art platform that aims to bring the art world and the NFT space closer together. Artists in the group shows include Gabriel Massan and Claudia Maté, with Petra Cortright and Jonathan Uliel Saldanha landing solo shows.